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Holy Grail Reverb From Electro Harmonix- Review

Wed 05/02/12

Review of the Holy Grail Reverb From Electro Harmonix

The Holy Grail Reverb is one of the most sought after true bypass reverb pedals on the market. The nano version of the pedal is currently available and the nano is the same as the original but "smaller". It has a flip switch, a knob and a button. The flip switch changes the reverb setting from spring, hall and Flerb. The knob controls how much of the effect you will hear. The button turns the effect on and off.

The original classic Spring reverb setting of the Holy Grail Reverb emulates the sound of the old spring reverbs found in amps. The spring is best used for bluesy and slightly distorted tones. The hall setting gives a feel of being in a large hall. If you are playing mostly clean, the hall setting is perfect. The Flerb is a strange effect, combining reverb and flange. Used with moderation, Flerb creates a very distinctive sound, with the flange affecting mostly the reverbed sound, not the main signal. On any of the settings, going past about noon on the knob will totally suck all your tone. Although going past noon will sound cool in some settings, don’t expect the Holy Grail Reverb to add invisible effects without impacting your tone.

The Holy Grail Reverb is in a nice sturdy case with a good paint job. The one major down fall of the original Holy Grail Reverb is that the power adapter that is needed is different than any other pedal. You cannot use a One Spot or similar chain power supply; You HAVE to use the one it comes with. This problem has seemed to be corrected in the newer nano version.

You will want to place the Holy Grail Reverb at the end of your pedal board as the last pedal before the amp. If you have an effects loop, then the Holy Grail Reverb should be in the effects loop. You can pick one up from most stores for around 150 bucks. Electro Harmonix has also come out with a few newerv verions of the reverb with more settings, more controls, and more cost. We have listed a few below-